This invention relates generally to surveillance systems which are used to monitor activity in buildings and surrounding areas subject to security concerns from a point above the ground. More specifically, the invention relates to surveillance systems that not only detect activity but also identify the specific locations where the activity occurs.
The invention is a method and system-for exercising surveillance over a surface from an observation point above the surface utilizing three-dimensional map data pertaining to the surface. The method comprises the steps of (1) intercepting the light rays from a surface in a field of view, (2) separating the intercepted light rays into a plurality of light-ray clusters where a light-ray cluster comprises a plurality of light-ray bundles, a light-ray bundle consists of the light rays from a point on the surface in the field of view, and a light-ray cluster consists of the light-ray bundles from a region of contiguous points on the surface, (3) determining the map coordinates of each region from which a light-ray cluster comes, (4) obtaining a measure or normalized measure of the radiant power of each light-ray cluster or part thereof, spectrally modified or not, at predetermined time intervals, and (5) identifying the map coordinates of a surface activity from measures or normalized measures of the radiant power of the light-ray clusters or parts thereof, spectrally modified or not.
The system for exercising surveillance over a surface from an observation point above the surface utilizing three-dimensional map data pertaining to the surface comprises a lens system for intercepting the light rays from a surface in the field of view and separating the intercepted light rays into a plurality of light-ray clusters, a detector assembly attached to the lens system and comprising a plurality of detector cells, and a processor system comprising one or more processors for reading out the measures or normalized measures of radiant power of the light-ray clusters or parts thereof, spectrally modified or not, from the detector assembly and determining the map coordinates of each region from which a light-ray cluster comes.